Police Accountability

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The policies and actions of the police are instrumental in deciding who gets stopped, searched, arrested, and funneled into the criminal justice system; indeed, the United States’ overincarceration crisis begins at the front end of the system. Meanwhile, often under the guise of our failed drug war, abuse of civil asset forfeiture is rampant, while federal grant programs enable the increasing militarization of local police departments. The ACLU relies on various strategies to challenge a broad range of unjust police practices—including litigation against departments engaged in unconstitutional and counterproductive practices, as well as policy advocacy to win broader measures to hold public officials accountable. Ultimately, our efforts are intended to address the longstanding adversarial relationship between police and communities and to help create police departments that work collaboratively and democratically with all of the communities they serve, increasing transparency, accountability, fairness, and public safety.

The Latest

News & Commentary
photo of visa and police bade

Keep Vermont police out of the deportation business

When local police get mixed up in deportation, civil rights violations are the inevitable result—which is why we’re suing the Essex County Sheriff’s Department for its records on immigration enforcement.
Press Release
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ACLU Client Settles Case Against Vermont State Police Over Unconstitutional Arrest

Gregory Bombard’s First Amendment rights were violated after an unnecessary traffic stop and retaliatory arrest in 2018 
Press Release
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ACLU Sues Essex County Sheriff for Records on Immigration Involvement

Violation of state public records law another example of county sheriffs evading accountability.
Press Release
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ACLU Vermont Report Card Gives Governor Scott a Failing Grade

New ad campaign will raise public awareness about the governor’s record on civil liberties from 2023-2024.
Court Case
Jan 30, 2024

Cathy Austrian o/b/o J.A. v. City of Burlington

Court Case
Jan 23, 2023

John Chinnici v. Town of Bennington

Our client was unlawfully arrested, interrogated, and searched by Bennington police.
Court Case
May 19, 2023

Drewniak v. CBP

ACLU affiliates in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont filed a federal lawsuit challenging the use of unconstitutional border patrol checkpoints that frequently occur on I-93 in Woodstock, New Hampshire and elsewhere in northern New England.
Court Case
Sep 24, 2021

State v. Walker-Brazie and Lena-Butterfield

The Vermont Supreme Court ruled in our favor on behalf of a Vermont couple who were prosecuted following an August 2018 “roving patrol” stop by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Jay.